When squeezing out your morning toothpaste, perhaps you’ve noticed the warning label advising you to call poison control if you swallow more than is needed for brushing. It makes you wonder: Is something sinister lurking behind the minty freshness?

Approximately 95 percent of toothpastes on the market carry this warning label because of fluoride. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that strengthens tooth enamel and fights against the bacteria that attack our teeth. Flouride actually remineralizes teeth and can even stop ongoing decay, which is why the federal government has been adding it to our drinking water since 1945.

Fluoride is also a toxin. However, the amount found in a regular dollop of toothpaste is usually not enough to cause any harm, although less is needed for a toxic reaction to occur in small children, who may ingest too much toothpaste out of curiosity or enjoyment of the taste.

If you suspect your child has swallowed a lot of toothpaste and he or she doesn’t feel well, call poison control immediately. Stomach pain, headaches and intestinal blockages are symptoms of fluoride poisoning.

Children are also more likely to swallow toothpaste instead of spitting it out. This milder form of excess fluoride consumption can cause other problems, such as dental fluorosis, a condition that causes teeth discoloration in children.

Parents should supervise brushing and keep toothpaste locked up when not in use — especially any prescription dental products, which may contain more concentrated amounts of fluoride.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to use a tiny smear of fluoride toothpaste to brush baby’s teeth twice daily when they erupt. That amount should increase to a pea-sized blob when the child is 3 to 6 years old.

So if you and yours brush responsibly, there’ll be no reason to fear the fluoride.